This invention relates generally to a decorated, manufactured cigar wrapper and, more particularly, to a manufactured cigar wrapper the surface of which has been treated with colorants in order to color and shade the surface having a raised, vein-like pattern embossed thereon to simulate a natural tobacco leaf.
Cigars typically are wrapped with a natural tobacco leaf or with a manufactured wrapper which contains both natural tobacco and certain adhesives and cellulosic fiber materials. The advantage of using a manufactured cigar wrapper rather than a natural tobacco leaf resides in its considerably lower cost and the increased ability to manipulate both taste and aroma by the addition of appropriate additives. The natural tobacco leaf has historically however, been the symbol of a quality cigar and accordingly, it has been a goal of cigar manufacturers to simulate the appearance of natural tobacco leaf wrappers on manufactured cigar wrappers.
To this end, cigar wrapper manufacturers have, on numerous occasions, attempted to print or draw a natural vein pattern on a sheet of manufactured wrapper material. For example, British Pat. No. 14,494, which issued to William Watson on Nov. 3, 1884, teaches the embossing, stamping or printing of natural tobacco leaf designs on manufactured tobacco paper. Simularly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,316,785, which issued to Frederick C. Gladeck on Apr. 20, 1943, discloses the embossing of a sheet of manufactured tobacco wrapper with a pattern which simulates leaf tobacco. See also, in this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,717 which issued to F. H. Osborne et al. on Aug. 25, 1964 and which discloses that calendering or embossing of a manufactured cigar wrapper with a leaf design having stems and veins.
A particular problem experienced by cigar wrapper manufacturers who have attempted to emboss or engrave such a veined pattern on a manufactured cigar wrapper is that during subsequent manufacturing operations and during use, especially when the humidity of the wrapper increases and the sheet is stretched, the raised, embossed vein pattern is stretched flat as the wrapper becomes taut and is thus removed. Further, prior art attempts at embossing or printing vein patterns on manufactured cigar wrappers have not heretofore been successful because the generally uniform color of the manufactured wrappers did not appear realistic when compared to the randomly colored natural tobacco leaf.
Against the foregoing background, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a manufactured cigar wrapper having an embossed, vein-like pattern on its outer surface.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a manufactured cigar wrapper having an embossed, vein-like pattern on its outer surface which retains its appearance during subsequent processing and use.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a manufactured cigar wrapper having an embossed, vein-like pattern on its outer surface and which is colored and shaded to simulate a natural tobacco leaf.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a manufactured cigar wrapper having two layers of the same or different types of wrapper material laminated together.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an economic and commercially acceptable cigar wrapper.